Trump Reportedly Wants To Coordinate With Japan On Golden Dome Project

U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly sought Japan’s help in the development of the Golden Dome, with the conversation tied to the Asian country’s tariff negotiations with the U.S.

According to a report by Reuters, citing Nikkei, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had a conversation over a phone call this month.

The Nikkei report stated that a potential collaboration between the U.S. and Japan on the Golden Dome project could center around developing systems to intercept incoming threats.

Earlier in May, President Trump picked his concept for the Golden Dome missile shield system and said that he expects it to be operational before the end of his current term, which is 2029.

The system is expected to include both ground- and space-based capabilities, including interception. While there is no system or list of capabilities ready yet, the Pentagon and the Northern Command are working on it.

It’s not clear yet if the Trump administration wants to outsource the development of interception capabilities to other countries–neither the initial capabilities document, nor a list of vendors has been picked yet.

This also comes close on the heels of the much-awaited U.S. Steel-Nippon deal–President Trump spoke about it at a rally in Pittsburgh, while announcing plans to double steel tariffs to 50% from 25%.

The Trump administration also sought funding for the Golden Dome project from Canada–the President offered to extend the shield to the northern neighbor for $61 billion.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the U.S. may have to spend as much as $542 billion over 20 years to develop and launch the space interceptors, far higher than the $175 billion projection.

Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500, was up 0.54% at the time of writing.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Also See: Hims & Hers To Acquire European Telehealth Brand Zava As It Looks To Expand Globally